Your Choice Of Blogging Platform: Blogger Or WordPress?

Allow me to start by saying that this post is not to bash or trash either Blogger or WordPress, but to simply share why you prefer the blogging platform of your choice and some of the pros and cons.

The reason I’m posting this is because I often hear bloggers ask fellow-bloggers why they choose the platform they use, so I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to share their feedback in comments, just in case anyone is considering a move to either one.

I’ve had blogs on both Blogger and WordPress, so I’m familiar with how each one works and think they are powerful platforms with pros and cons.

Customizing

I choose to use Blogger for one main reason, it gives me the freedom to do what I want with my template and do it for FREE. I can either use one of Bloggers themes or download one from an outside source and customize and tweak it until my heart's content. Yes, you can do these things on WordPress as well, but primarily if you self-host on WordPress.org. WordPress.com is limited in how much customizing you can do on their themes. Most of their free themes come ‘as is’ and can be customized if you pay a la carte.

Advertising and Affiliates

Blogger permits me to offer advertising and affiliate links if I choose to do so.

Security

I appreciate how secure Blogger is. You very rarely, if ever, hear of someones blog getting hacked into on Blogger.

Professional

Many people feel that Blogger is not a professional blogging platform, but I have to disagree because I know of many professional bloggers who use Blogger. Here are some:

Many people feel that because Blogger owns your blog, they can shut it down anytime they wish if you violate their terms of service. And yes, that's true, they can. But it’s the same with WordPress unless you self-host. Wordpress.com owns your blog and can shut it down anytime they wish if you violate their terms of service. Which is why I backup my blog content a few times a month and store it on a cloud.Perfection

Is Blogger perfect? No, far from it. There are certain features lacking on Blogger that are offered on WordPress, however, I’ve learned ways of getting around some of those features by customizing them myself. I also think that the native commenting system on WordPress is so much more advanced and reliable than Blogger. Yet, it's not without occasional glitches.

The bottom line is that no matter what blogging platform you use there will always be pros and cons and technical issues. So, it's just a matter of weighing them out and choosing which ones serve your needs.

As I shared, I've used both Blogger and WordPress and think they are both powerful platforms in their own way.

And perhaps one day if I should decide to self-host I will move back to WordPress. Yet, right now I'm happy and content using Blogger because it serves my primary need - the freedom to do whatever I want without having to pay for any of it.

So if you wish, please feel free to share your own feedback on the blogging platforms you have used and why you've chosen the one you currently use - pros and cons. Thank you.

40 comments

A couple of times, when I've been fed-up with Blogger, I've tried to get on WordPress - and failed. It seemed to be the most difficult thing to do at the time. Mostly though, apart from the odd hiccup, I'm satisfied with Blogger. It always seems more attractive than Wordpress and as you said there is so much more you can do with it. To my mind, going on past experiences, Blogger is easier to understand and set up.

Interesting and informative post, Ron. I don't have a blog myself, but I read blogs on Blogger and WordPress and never knew anything about how they worked and their differences. As a reader, I've occasionally had problems commenting on both platforms. But it's as you said, that is to be expected because technical issues can happen. They even occur on Facebook.

Yes, Blogger is easier to understand and set up, especially if you're a first time blogger.

When I first had a blog on WP, it seemed overwhelming to set up. But it's like anything else, once you get use to it, it becomes easier. I still have my other blog on WP and will occasionally go over there and investigate the different features, however, I don't publish any longer. WP is a super platform, but Blogger offers more of what I want right now.

I use Blogger out of inertia as much as anything. It's the first one I tried, it's free, it's easy to use, and it works just fine for what I use it for. And I do tend to like the way blogger blogs look better than wordpress blogs. I don't use their feed, I use Feedly fir that.

Many years ago, when I first started blogging (2005) I published with Blogger and then imported that blog over to WP for about a year. Then, when I decided to start a personal blog, I decided to use Blogger again. I think both platforms are awesome, it's just that Blogger offers more of the options I'm looking for.

OMG Grace, that is so ironic because I too starting blogging (at Blogger) in 2005!

Back then, it was the main blogging platform, so I think many people used it. I imported that blog over to WP after about six months because I wanted to see the differences. I actually liked WP. But yes, the interface took some time getting use to. Then, after about a year, I started this blog and decided to come back to Blogger because of the freedom it allows us in certain areas.

I still have my original blog over at WP, but don't post there any longer. I just keep it as a reference blog for anyone who is interested in that kind of topic - holistic health - reflexology, reiki, and aromatherapy.

"Ron, I'm looking forward to reading comments here because one is never too experienced to learn something!"

Yes, that's why I posted this because many people ask about the differences in each platform.

". As a newbie, I didn't feel comfortable with the whole blogging thing -- it seemed too open to me, and I felt vulnerable."

I felt the same way. In fact, when I first started blogging (2005) I thought it was the silliest idea, but OMG...did I ever discover the value and joy in blogging :)

I too moved over to WP after about six months of using Blogger because I was curious to see the differences. I actually loved WP, but after about a year, I decided to start THIS blog and moved back to Blogger because of the freedom it allows in certain areas (like, customizing). I still have my original blog at WP but don't publish there any longer. I just use it as a reference blog for anyone searching for those topics of interest (aromatherapy, reflexology, and aromatherapy).

"While the latter allows you to completely customize your pages, the former is a bit more restrictive. However, the former is way easier to set up and get going, right out of the box, so if you're in a hurry, the .com version is the one to choose."

You are absolutely right on about that!

And if I should ever decide to self-host, WP will be my choice.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, my friend! Have a super weekend!

I like trying different things, so I've experimented with both Blogger and WordPress. And as I shared, I think both platforms are awesome, it's just that for right now, Blogger seems to give me all that need.

I think you know that I'm a big WordPress fan and champion it to all my friends. I tried Blogger initially, and (at the time) it just didn't suit my needs. I was not happy with the choice of themes or the comment functions. Having said that, a great many people I read are on Blogger - such as you and Bijoux - and your blogs are great. No complaints. To me, it's really more about the content than the look, anyway. As evidenced by my recent decluttered theme.

Yes, I know you're a HUGE WP fan and I think that's great because WP is AWESOME!

The themes on Blogger have change drastically (I agree, they were boring when they first started out), but the options over the years have widened considerably. But as you know, I don't use Blogger themes, I use templates from an outside source and then customize them. But I will say that Blogger needs to update their native commenting system even more then have. WP ROCKS when it comes to that.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, buddy. Have a faaaaaaabulous weekend!

" Yes, customizing the themes can be a challenge, but I feel like anything is possible."

Yes, I agree! And even having my blog on Blogger has taught me that because I've learned out to get around those challenges and do it myself.

"I do have a blogger site so I can easily comment on bloggers' posts, but most of the time (your site being the exception) I am not notified of blogger replies. If I'm not sent a reply, I don't return to the site unless I've bookmarked it."

As I'm sure you already know, I don't use Bloggers commenting format, I use Disqus which enables comment notifications. That's one area that I feel Blogger needs to update because WP ROCKS when it comes to their commenting system.

"My other beef with blogger is that once, when I was clicking "next blog", I was directed to a porn site. I'm not against porn, it's just that sometimes my daughters are within site-range of my computer. It was a surprise, to say the least."

WOW...now that I've not heard, but I would certainly not like that. I don't have the navabar (next blog feature) that usually comes with a Blogger template. On the templates I use, that option is already removed. In fact, I've understood the purpose of that thing anyway?!?

"I use the wordpress platform to create websites for some of my clients. They don't blog, they just want a beautiful, professional website. I turn off comments, and we don't even post blogs. We have a static front page, and many additional pages of content."

That's AWESOME! And yes, I've seen those used on WP, which I think is such a great option. I don't know if we can do that on Blogger, but I will check it out.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your valued feedback, my friend. Have a SUPER weekend!

Ron, I don't have a blog so I didn't realize you could back it up and store it somewhere. I've been tempted to start a blog someday but don't even know what I would post about. But if I do, I would probably start with Blogger because from what I've read, it's easy to set up.

Yes, you can backup a blog and store it on cloud for safe keeping. I store mine on Dropbox and update it about twice a month just in case something happens. Personally, whether someone self-hosts or uses a blogging platform for free, I think backing up a blog is wise.

I also store a lot of my photographs on a cloud as well.

"But if I do, I would probably start with Blogger because from what I've read, it's easy to set up."

Yes, it's very easy to set up a blog on Blogger, which is why I started there. As I shared, I love WP as well, but until I'm ready to pay for self-hosting, Blogger is best for my needs.

Hey there friend! Now I will say that I am a wordpress user only because that was the first platform I was familiar with when I began blogging. As I learned more about it I did feel Blogger was a better choice but decided not to go through the process of moving my blog and having to link my current readers over. You are right though, Blogger allows you more freedom!

I'm on a self-hosted Wordpress platform right now. I can customize most of the things I want to change. I'm seriously considering moving back to Wordpress.com to avoid some of the recent issues with my hosting company. I'll give up some control….but it might be worth the extra peace of mind. Sometimes I find Blogger's comment protocol very cumbersome and irritating. But, to each his/her own!

My computer went down and I lost all of my photos. Some were very dear to me, so, remembering that some of them had been posted to my blog, I went to download them to my computer again. To my horror, I discovered that once uploaded, your original photos are lost to you. I don't know what happens to them, but that did it for me. I want control over my own photographs and do not like the thought that once they are uploaded to my blog, they no longer belong to me.

I went with WordPress self hosted and haven't looked back. I can tweak my theme as much as I like. Even design one from scratch if I so desire (or have the inclination to). I can store whatever I want on the server, but more importantly. Everything still belongs to me.

I have to say that I often run into problems, leaving comments on Blogger posts.

"Now I will say that I am a wordpress user only because that was the first platform I was familiar with when I began blogging. As I learned more about it I did feel Blogger was a better choice but decided not to go through the process of moving my blog and having to link my current readers over."

Yes, I think which ever platform you start with is the one your most familiar and comfortable with. I started with Blogger but wanted to see how WP was so I moved my first blog over and really liked WP. However, after a year I decided to start this blog so I came back to Blogger because of the freedom. If I should ever decide to self-host though, I will definitely use WP.

" I'm seriously considering moving back to Wordpress.com to avoid some of the recent issues with my hosting company. I'll give up some control….but it might be worth the extra peace of mind."

Yes, that's the one really positive thing about using a platform such as WordPress.com and Blogger, they do all the work when it comes to the 'behind the scenes" stuff like hosting. It's one of those things that you have decide if it worth it. But if I ever decide to self-host, WP will be my choice.

" I went to download them to my computer again. To my horror, I discovered that once uploaded, your original photos are lost to you. I don't know what happens to them, but that did it for me. I want control over my own photographs and do not like the thought that once they are uploaded to my blog, they no longer belong to me."

I think that's different now because very often I will go back and use a photo I've already posted on one of my blog posts and I can very easily download them back to my computer. I've never had any problems. I do know that Blogger stores your images on Picasa, so I think they can be downloaded from there as well.

The only thing that concerns me about using a hosting service like Blogger or WordPress.com is that they own your content, which is why I backup my blog twice a month in case something ever happens, I'll have it safe.

"I went with WordPress self hosted and haven't looked back. I can tweak my theme as much as I like. Even design one from scratch if I so desire (or have the inclination to). I can store whatever I want on the server, but more importantly. Everything still belongs to me."

That's awesome! And if I should ever decide to self-host, I will definitely use WordPress.org.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, my friend. Have a lovely weekend!

Ron -I had a Blogger site for many years and then upgraded to a self-hosted WordPress blog. I've also had a WordPress.org blog. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have stuck with Blogger. For some reason, I had more fun when I had a Blogger blog. I think upgrading to a "professional" site has taken the fun out of blogging. It's more formal. It's like typing in an evening gown. I'd rather write in jeans. The free WordPress site was okay. It was a great intro to learning to navigate a self-hosted WordPress blog. I miss Blogger. I upgraded my site for my writing platform. But, what's the point of upgrading for your writing if you end up writing less?

" For some reason, I had more fun when I had a Blogger blog. I think upgrading to a "professional" site has taken the fun out of blogging. It's more formal. It's like typing in an evening gown. I'd rather write in jeans."

Lauren, I love how you expressed that because I never thought of it that way.

I have had moments when I've seriously considered moving to WP and self-hosting, but then think to myself, "Why? Because I can do all that I really want to do here on Blogger and not worry about the responsibility of maintaining the technical aspects." As I've shared, I read several professional blogs who still use Blogger as their platform and they are very successful.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, my friend. Muchly appreciated.

You, too! I forgot to mention that during the upgrade to WordPress, I lost a bunch of Disqus comments and shortly after, Google stopped supporting FriendConnect on non Blogger sites. I might write a post about this citing your post as the catalyst.

team wordpress here. mostly because i love the themes, it's easy for me and i can view it at work. can't view any blogspot blog at work and that sucks. i hate the capatcha on blogspot too that many people read. otherwise, to each his own.

The only experience I have of either platform is with the mobile applications for my phone and tablet, so I can only comment on their performance.I've been using WordPress for the entire life of Diary of an Internet Nobody and I'm more than happy with both the functionality and support on the platform.Blogger, on the other hand, have not yet provided a stable mobile app that doesn't crash, delete posts, or fail to upload photos successfully. I have used a proxy app, (Soffice) which supports both platforms with a very basic format, when I have posted as a guest on Blogger blogs, but I'm still not very impressed with the limited tools available for either of them.Also, I've found the more recent update to the WordPress platform to have a pretty decent number of free customising options which, if you are creative enough and prepared to search for a suitable template, can enable you to achieve some really professional results.

Nicely argued case for Blogger though, and if you are comfortable with your chosen platform, why change...?

"I forgot to mention that during the upgrade to WordPress, I lost a bunch of Disqus comments and shortly after, Google stopped supporting FriendConnect on non Blogger sites."

That's good to know, thank you mentioned that. At the time I moved from Blogger to WP with my first blog, I was using Bloggers native commenting format so I didn't lose any comments, thank god. I have it set up on my blog now so that I keep my comments on both Blogger and Disqus, so hopefully if I ever do move to WP. org, the comments will come with me. I don't use FriendConnect, so I didn't know about that.

"I've been using WordPress for the entire life of Diary of an Internet Nobody and I'm more than happy with both the functionality and support on the platform."

Yes, I totally agree....the support on WP is WAY better than Blogger. Basically, Blogger leaves you on your own.

"Blogger, on the other hand, have not yet provided a stable mobile app that doesn't crash, delete posts, or fail to upload photos successfully."

Agree! They need to make their mobile app more stable.

"Also, I've found the more recent update to the WordPress platform to have a pretty decent number of free customising options which, if you are creative enough and prepared to search for a suitable template, can enable you to achieve some really professional results."

Yes, I have noticed that WP has added more customizing features, however, the way in which I like customize my template, it's still not enough for me personally because I customize a lot.

Much thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback, buddy! Appreciate it!

Thought provoking post, Ron. When I decided to blog, I discovered google owned blogger, and thought how secure is that? I didn't even consider the other platforms because I found it so easy for me, as techno-challenged as I am. But when I visited others who used different platforms, I did look into them. They seemed so much more challenging. And I have to say, Ron, I have NEVER had problems on blogger; well, for my simple uses anyway. Perhaps the more sophisticated one's needs, your question would apply?

Ron, I lived by the adage, "if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it," but now to the revised adage, “just because it ain’t broke, does not mean that it can’t be improved," I suppose in answer to the adage, "the only constant is change." LOL Getting philosophical here, Ron. Hope you had a wonderful weekend! :))

"And I have to say, Ron, I have NEVER had problems on blogger; well, for my simple uses anyway."

That's great to hear! The only problem I have ever had with Blogger is their native commenting format, but they have improved it. However, I like using Disqus because I feel that's it not only more dependable, but it also encourages more dialogue within comments with comment notifications because you immediately get someone's response. I've had issues with it now and then, but for the most part it works well.

"Ron, I lived by the adage, "if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it," but now to the revised adage, “just because it ain’t broke, does not mean that it can’t be improved," I suppose in answer to the adage, "the only constant is change." LOL Getting philosophical here, Ron."

I LOVED THAT!!!! And it's so true...the only constant is change!

Much thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback, my friend. Have a super Sunday!

I share your taste somewhat Ron - I have always loved exposed old brick & even better if there is plaster & brick like in your first photo. The only pic I didn't like was the one with partially peeled paint on the brick - this isn't my cup of tea, either paint it or scrape it all off. I have always dreamed of making myself a wide open loft apartment in an old warehouse.